getting a new rabbit as a pet

Question
QUESTION: I wanted to know if its a lot of work to take care of a bunny?
since Im new in getting a rabbit .. every one says that they are better when in a pair but i just want one, is that bad?
Can a rabbit stay in the heat for long ? if so how long or is it better in the house w/ air conditioning ? i want my new rabbit to feel like its at home i just have so many questions. PLZ HELP!!!

ANSWER: Oh yes, rabbits do take a lot work.  Much more than many smaller animals like hamster, gerbils.  And more than cats.  

Rabbits are social animals and many of them do well in groups.  But some rabbits are fine when alone.  You just want to make sure that it gets lots of love and attention.

Rabbits do very poorly in heat.  They can start to have health problems when the temperature gets above 80 degrees F.  They do much better in the house with air conditioning.  And they tend to get more attention when they're house rabbits.

But there are some resources that you should check out before you get a rabbit.
Try to find these books:
House Rabbit Handbook 4th edition
Why Does My Rabbit?

The House Rabbit Handbook is a must.  It has lots of info on rabbits and covers health, caging, food, and behavioral issues.

These websites you want to bookmark:
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html
http://www.paperglyphs.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
http://rabbit.org/

There are some things you want to want to watch for:
1.  Proper cage.  Most cages sold in stores are too small for a rabbit.  You want to have a cage that is big enough for a rabbit.  You can also easily build a cage by using storage grids found at Target or other stores.  This site has some instructions for a simple cage.  It's a guinea pig site, but people do this for rabbits also.  
http://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm
And this link shows some examples of fancier cages people have built for rabbits:
http://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/531

The other thing you want to be careful about in a cage is the "floor".  Most cages have a wire floor.  This is terrible for rabbits.  Feet problem can result.  If you do buy a cage with a wire floor, you want to put something flat on it for the rabbit's feet to rest on.

2.  Diet is one of the most misunderstood facets about rabbits. An improper diet can result in health problems or death.  You want to feed a quality hay appropriate for the rabbits age.  And a high fiber hay.  Oxbow is an excellent brand for both if you can find it.  But pellets are only a small part of the diet and vegetable are very important also.
This site lists info about diet.  Over on the right are links to appropriate vegetables, fruit, and treats for your rabbit.  Along with info on what NOT to feed your rabbit:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

3.  And avoid cedar and pine bedding.  Your rabbit can die if you use either.

4.  And have a relationship with a vet experienced in rabbits.  Many of them will be referred to as exotic vets in the phonebook.  This site also list some rabbit experienced vets:
http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

5.  Toys.  Rabbits need toys to play with.  One of many rabbits favorites is a phonebook.  Rabbits love to shred them.  And this site has more ideas for rabbit toys:
http://rabbit.org/faq/sections/toys.html

There's lots to owning a rabbit.  But those books and websites are good resources to educate yourself before you make the plunge.

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QUESTION: yea thanks for the info on rabbits but i have another question
why cant rabbits travel with the person in the plane and they have to be cargo ??!!??! i saw it on a travel website
ANSWER: Well, I suspect it's for some of the same reasons that a lot of cats and dogs end up in cargo, ie; allergies, noise, the dog or cats may get sick. And frankly, a lot of people just don't understand rabbits or their needs.

I would never feel comfortable with my rabbit flying cargo.  But then, I wouldn't want my dogs or cats doing it either.

One of the experts here has a site with a list of carriers who will allow rabbits in the cabin, and who will not.  There aren't many that do:
http://fig.cox.miami.edu/Faculty/Dana/activist.html

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QUESTION: well theres a problem I'm not getting a rabbit but I'm getting a hamster .. well two actually and i need to know everything about them.

Answer
Well, some things to keep in mind about hamsters is that they are escape artists, they can chew or figure out how to open most cage setups.

Also, in some hamster breeds, two males will fight if put together.  Teddy Bears are one of those breeds.  And if two a male and female hamster get together, the female gets pregnant pretty easily.

And hamsters are active at night, and sleep during the day.
Most hamster don't like to be woke up.  Many times this startles them and they may bite before they've completely woken up.

Also, never use cedar chips or pine chips as bedding it will kill them because their urine interacts with the oils in the chips.  Oven/kiln dried pine "may" be ok.

Hamsters need a varied diet, not just pellets.  Here's a website with a list of fruits and vegetables you can feed them.

But I haven't had hamsters for awhile, so here's the link the hamster experts:
http://www.allexperts.com/el/Gerbils-Hamsters/